Battles of Intimate Proportions
by iExpress
Summary: One evening, Ryuko and Senketsu find themselves home alone. With a bit of innocent teasing, weird sexy times suddenly ensue. Thus begin the numerous battles of intimate proportions and many cute feel trips. Note: Taking place during the series.
1. Chapter I - Different, yet not

Ryuko felt at ease, for once. It was the rare opportunities that she simply had to take to sit back and relax.

It was Saturday, and as such, school was out. Usually nothing would stop her from going to stir up some trouble and beat a few more of the student's asses, and by all accounts, she wanted to – her best friend and her family, however, had different plans for her. Mako had insisted that Ryuko has been simply roughed up too much lately and once the rest of the family heard about it, all of Ryuko's protests were in vain – she was to remain home and chill.

A few hours into her small "vacation", she started seeing the perks of taking a day off. It was nice o simply doze off on a window sill, staring into the sky and listening to Mako's childhood stories and share the not-so-tasty but nutritious lunch by mama, or enjoying chasing Mako's younger brother through the village and down the narrow alleys, when he so jokingly nicked Senketsu – something that would usually annoy her, but had amused her as she didn't have a childish race in a long time.

Yet even though she loved the family that so readily accepted her with all her heart, she couldn't help but feel relieved and grateful for the silence that ensued when the same, very loud family, went out in the evening for an evening visit to some friends – it was most uncharacteristic of them to go to dinner at someone else's place, but seeing as someone was making food for them, it was a chance they weren't going to miss.

So she relaxed on the floor of her and Mako's room, enjoying the chilly wind that would every once in a while grace the hot night air. Senketsu rested on her comfortably, probably napping, she figured. She figured wrong, as she would realize soon.

She rolled over and, stupidly, accidentally slapped her palm straight against the edge of her blade she had been cleaning before.

"Crap!" Instinctively, she drew her hand to her chest, not realizing it was coated in blood until it was too late, and her wearable companion reacted.

She could see his one-eyed stare lingering on her bloodied hand and then connecting the information he gathered from the scissor half next to her into an answer.

"Trouble?" He asked dryly. She deadpanned.

"Funny. Ah, shit." She reached for some tissues, but her own sleeve stopped her from doing so.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" She growled.

"C'mon, it's just a little." The living uniform complained. Ryuko sighed and figured she might as well, since she's bleeding, as she wiped her hand into the skirt. Senketsu growled pleasantly. Ryuko was silent for a moment, observing her friend.

"Sometimes I still can't quite get into the fact you're a talking uniform." She admitted with a grin. She heard him chuckle in response.

"There's a lot of things I can do that you wouldn't know of."

"Don't be like that, Senketsu." Ryuko chirped. "I know what you- no, what we are capable of." She nodded. Senketsu hummed happily.

"I deeply appreciate that you would say that Ryuko, I think so too - but that is not what I meant, right now."

"Mm? What is it then?" She asked curiously.

"I have many other qualities of a regular human being." Senketsu said proudly. "I'm not just a talking, thinking suit you use for a bloody massacre, you know."

"Well, it comes close to the description if we're gonna be fair." She laughed. "Don't get me wrong, you know you're much more to me than clothing, but in retrospect... I mean, you're not exactly a _party animal_." She snickered evilly at the thought.

"Ha. Is that so? Is that what you think?"

"Of course it is, I mean—technically, you're a uniform." She snickered lightly. "Sometimes the bluntness of it really makes me laugh. Don't take it the wrong way."

"No, no, don't worry, I never intended to. In fact, I'll take in the entirely different way. Perhaps, I'll think of it…," his voice turned unexpectedly low, "...as a challenge."

Before she could ask what did he mean, he suddenly turned into the earliest stage of his transformation.

"Oi, oi, what's this about, Senketsu. Don't tell me you're ... is something bad about to happen!?" She got up swiftly, already reaching for her blade, but Senketsu calmed her quickly:

"On the contrary. Something fun is about to happen."

"Oh." She relaxed, confused for a moment. "Well, what is it? And why did you transform?"

"I couldn't show you otherwise." He cleared up calmly. By now, she had not a clue about what he might be talking about.

"Show me wha—"

Senketsu very suddenly got tighter. Not the usual tight, that once made her embarrassed to be presented in such clothing, but the kind of tight that was nearly but not suffocating her and prodding into the parts of her body she didn't want it to nor she ever thought it did as strongly as now. Despite the fact she long since felt shame about her presenting her body in the skimpy but effective battle uniform, this felt different, a kind of embarrassment that made her cheeks flush.

"What the Hell are you doing, Senketsu?! You're going to..." She trailed shyly as she looked down at her skirt, to the place beneath where the strap got unbelievably tight, straight against the one spot she didn't know was as sensitive as she'd soon realize.

"Too tight?" Senketsu asked casually.

"You idiot, what are you doing?! Stop it!"

"Not yet. I haven't shown you yet what a _'party_ _animal'_ I can be. It is a challenge, after all. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it."

"What are you talking abo—UNGH!" This was new. Senketsu rarely actually moved on his own against her will while Ryuko was wearing him, but this was again the movements she didn't know he was capable of, the kind of restraint that made her bend her body in ways she didn't want to.

"What the f-"

"_Get down_." It was a command that he sounded off and she was immediately and profusely pissed off by it. Something unfamiliar tingled inside of her as those words reached her, but she was much too angry to take notice of the slowly growing sensation right away.

"No, you stupid sailor uniform! Let GO!"

"Competitive, are we?" Senketsu purred in a way she never heard before and as such, didn't know she loved. "Perhaps we should try something gentler for the beginning. You are new to this, after all."

"Senketsu you bastard, what are you trying to do?!" Ryuko finally managed to ask before he'd done anything. His chuckle radiated through her whole body and she shook at the sudden, small stab of pleasure that only made him laugh softly again.

"What you want me to do. Don't you think?" He finally replied. Ryuko was by now panting, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"That's not even what—"She gasped loudly, feeling the now undoubtedly pleasuring rubbing at the spot beneath, where the strap was, if ever so gently, moving every time when she as much as tried to align her legs. Her shoulders were becoming heavier and tensed up the tighter the straps became. Holding in the sounds wasn't exactly her forte, and she without quite realizing it had let a few noises out that could only be interpreted in one way.

"Much better, isn't it?" She heard his sultry voice through the mist in her mind, feeling slightly dizzy from the kind of pleasure she never felt before and that voice, that new voice, that incredible tone that easily melted her insides into a puddle had only added to the sensation. The novelty of the sensations both excited and frightened her, and he obviously realized that, because he continued to purr into her ear in a more calming, peaceful tone.

"I am not hurting you, Ryuko, I know that much. You don't need to be afraid."

She hated to admit it had actually worked, as she felt safer the moment the words left him; she hated to admit she truly didn't want this to stop and had in fact been on board for something like this for quite some time, despite trying to deny it many times and despite this being much more than she expected; but more than that, she hated to admit she felt any fear to begin with.

"I'm- I'm not afraid of anything!" Ryuko flushed harder. "Let me go! I know what you're trying to do." She got her nerve back and angrily stared down at the big yellow eye, despite the reddened face. "I've never submitted to anyone in any way, and you won't get to be an exception! Especially not like this, you perv!"

"Judging by the reaction of your body, you're not so different than me, wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course not, you moron!"

His undeniably pleasant chuckle once again echoed through the empty room.

"You may be nervous and stubborn, but you are enduring, I'll give you that." Senketsu continued. "You can't keep getting away from it forever though. By now I've already realized you don't quite hate this nearly as much as I thought you might."

"Shut up!" She randomly swung and side-stepped in a lame, angry attempt to make him stop, but it only made things worse, more shameful, more pleasurable – there was no way she could move her legs or her hips without feeling _something_ and that _something_ grew quicker and quicker with every second; she found herself gasping for air as the straps on her breast became tight, a pleasurable tickle and something akin to a pinch or a caress on the sensitive spots underneath the breastplate and the air became impossible to get to and it was all but amazing as she felt her skin sinking into the uniform more and more, her shoulders and legs borderline painfully yet securely and fittingly welcoming the sensation; this was definitely nothing like the transformation of Senketsu, nothing like when her skin and him became one in battle, but in whole different way, _it felt_ _exactly the same_.

"It does feel the same doesn't it, Ryuko?"

"Senketsu!" Before she realized it, she had moaned his name out and as she did, Ryuko embarrassingly became aware of the situation, the unbelievably, almost sinful side of it, the wetness that had slid down her legs and dirtied the perverted uniform that wrapped tighter and tighter around her, making the air around her feel hotter and heavier than ever, despite the skimpiness and the chilly breeze that ran through the room that might as well have not existed.

At that point she was almost broken; she almost didn't care; almost decided to simply surrender to his pleasures and throw all pride into the wind; but at that point, like he knew she was on the edge, he had repeated the conditions that would make those pleasures available.

"Get down, Ryuko." Senketsu repeated as firmly as before.

"N—ngh, no-ah!" She tried to resist the tight strap that slowly but surely bend her back, and as she did, she had to move and that damn movement nearly drove her over the edge, which was the end of disobedience for her, even though she still resisted it – even as she still tried to break free of the tight hug and the firm grasp of the perverted battling uniform, her knees finally bumped against the floor.

"I knew you had it in you." Senketsu chuckled. Ryuko didn't have the strength to reply. That was much more draining than any fight she's been in and once again, it was in the same yet different way she couldn't quite explain to herself - but didn't even need to.

"I should probably reward you for that glorious effort you presented. It wouldn't have been as fun if you complied immediately." Senketsu calmly said, and that calmness of his, the smugness with which he had done this to her was exactly was enraged her again.

"You bastard, I'm going to- AH!" The pleasure intensified as he one last time started tightening the straps and then that once unfamiliar sensation burst into something she was scared off for a second; but then her vision was painted with flowers and flowers of changing colour and she rode the sensation for as long as she could, enjoying it's every long-lasting second as she panted and moaned out Senketsu's name.

The whole ordeal and the strong aftermath left her panting on her sheets, as Senketsu slowly, gently relaxed the straps and released the grip on her legs and throat, in the end transforming back into the old, comfy school uniform. With each second and each breath she took she felt more and more relief and satisfaction running through her body and it was, in a quite unusual way, extremely relaxing, making her pleasantly dizzy.

_This… weird game of submission_, she figured… _was as fun as it was aggravating._

"Senketsu, you bastard." She muttered and heard the pervert laugh.

"Say what you want. You loved it more than any of us imagined."

"Shut up." Ryuko growled, but laughed as well, quietly. She was silent for a while, looking out the window into the stars, before she finally gathered the courage to ask:

"I don't suppose that—"

"We could." He interrupted knowingly. "Whenever we want."

She smiled, and that sincere smile soon turned into a teasing grin.

"I guess you aren't as lame as I thought, huh, Senketsu?" She stared down into his one big eye.

She could hear him laugh almost ominously. "You ain't seen anything yet.

Ryuko's heart skipped a beat. "Well…I'll be looking forward it."


	2. Chapter II - Love it all the Same

The class was boring. With all the excitements this school had to offer (both those that were welcome at times and at those that were not), regular history classes and geography lessons became a bore and Ryuko had to do her best not to indulge in the peaceful sleep Mako had been enjoying for the past few hours. She studied the surrounding, alone in her boredom. Most of the students sitting in front of her covered her up pretty well, so she had plenty freedom to do whatever she wants. With Mikisugi not quite giving a damn, having perfected his role of a teacher and standing so close to the board, only his voice making him company, she hadn't had to worry about him fussing over what she's doing; though he likely wouldn't even care. Then again, he wouldn't be quite pleased if he had known what she was about to do.

Having been bored out of her wits and with Mako not waking up any time soon, Ryuko realized there was only one person who could keep her company, and that person was the one she was wearing. She pulled out her scissor blade in its tiny edition, and made a swift, gentle cut on her finger. She felt glad no one was paying attention to her, because they'd probably find it suspicious. She watched as the blood accumulated on her finger and then gently pressed wiped it into her sleeve – while it wasn't a necessity to make Senketsu talk to her, she figured it was a good way to get his attention. And it worked flawlessly as she heard him murmur in content.

"What is it, Ryuko?"

She really didn't want to talk to him out loud in such vicinity of so many people, so she decided to write her words down. It took him a several seconds to realize she had written a message to him on a piece of paper.

_I'm bored._

"Figures. The moment there's no trouble, you find school a bore."

She scribbled a message back.

_It's not like I wouldn't like to attend a normal school like I used to, but, you know. -_-_

"Might as well try and enjoy lack of trouble for now, you know."

_I guess you're right. I'm still bored as Hell, though._

"I guess there's a game we could play."

_You have games you wanna play? That's new._

"So is the game. We're in the public, so it'll only make it even more fun."

_Now you're confusing me._

"This is how it'll go. I'll challenge you to do something. It can be anything, really, simple, silly, crazy. But every time you fail to do what you're asked, as a form of penalty, I'll do something instead."

It was a risk. Who knew what Senketsu had in mind – and more curiously, who know what kind of penalty she'd had to endure. But she wouldn't be herself if she didn't enjoy the risk at least a tad bit and Ryuko Matoi had enjoyed a good risk much more than that.

_You're on._

"Interesting." Senketsu purred joyfully. "Well then, allow me to think for a moment."

Ryuko dedicated her attention to the lesson reluctantly as Senketsu pondered over their game. She nearly fell into a daydream when she heard him speak.

"Alright, I got it."

"Was about friggin' time." Ryuko hissed through gritted teeth, tired of writing. "So, what is it?"

"Let's start with something easy." Senketsu sounded nearly like a businessman. "Take a piece of that eraser here and stuff it into Mankanshoku's nose."

It took Ryuko all of the self-control not to burst out laughing.

"Really?! Man Senketsu, you have a weird sense of humour."

He didn't say anything, but she wasn't going to lose so easily. Feeling a bit bad, but not quite giving it much thought, she tore a piece of eraser off and in a swift move pushed it into one of her friend's nostrils.

What followed was even beyond her comprehension.

Mako had awoken and jerked with such force that her desk flipped over with a horribly loud bang. Once everyone's attention was properly and unfortunately directed to her, she had sneezed several times in such a spectacularly dramatic way and with an unusual amount of vigor, that it created an impact which pushed several desks around her all the way to the walls of the classroom, promptly squashing whoever was sitting in them. In mere matter of seconds, all that was left in the middle of the class was Ryuko, who still sat stupidly, clutching an eraser in her hand and Mako, who with the last of her might sneezed out the eraser that flew across the classroom like an airship and fantastically, flew straight into Mikisugi's forehead.

It took the teach short amount of three seconds to connect the dots as his bespectacled eyes slid from the snotty eraser in his hand to the one Ryuko's sweaty hand was clutching. With a sigh that was somewhere in between fake annoyance and amusement, he said:

"Matoi Ryuko, such behavior is unfortunately met with zero tolerance in this school - please go and get in touch with our Disciplinary Committee Chair, Gamagoori Ira."

Stuck with a dumbfounded look on her face, not quite expecting this outcome and certainly not expecting Mikisugi to send her into potentially harmful hands of Gamagoori, Ryuko got up and left the classroom quietly. Only once she was out and once rattle from the inside of classroom indicated they were busy with putting the desks back together did Ryuko find the thought to talk to Senketsu again.

"Man, what a pain in the ass! Damn that Mikisugi, sending me off to Ira like that. Like Hell will that mutt see any of me today."

"Good. It means we have more time to play."

"Oh, you already got another one? Good to know you got into it."

"I'd advise you to do the same. It could get rowdy once you activate the fire alarm."

"You want me to do what?!"

"You heard me."

For a moment she pondered the morality of such a decision but figured she'd rather do it than lose to him. She swiftly approached the nearest red box and pulled at the handle.

Loud, deafening ring of an alarm sounded off, and it was a miracle that amongst the noise of the rings and numerous opening doors and panicking students she could hear Senketsu's next instruction:

"Run, upwards."

Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the mighty roar of Gamagoori Ira as he tried to instruct everyone not to panic and to remember what they learned about cases of emergency. Knowing she'd do best to avoid him, she listened to Senketsu and rushed up. In thirty seconds she ran three floors up and wandered into the parts of school that were already emptied. Just as she wondered what the Hell did Senketsu plan, she could hear footsteps and froze at the familiar sound of high heels.

"Satsuki!"

"_Hide_." Senketsu instructed. Now, this one was a toughie to listen to. More than anything, she wanted to turn around and tackle the Student Council President in a surprise attack, but then her eyes caught side of an old, small broom closet and her feet automatically rushed towards it, complying with Senketsu's instruction instead. She had to admit that the part of her didn't quite want to start the fight, not now anyway. She just managed to close the door to it when a familiar presence graced the floor, dazzling as always – Ryuko could see everything clearly from the small windows in the closet door.

"Did you discover who the culprit is yet?"

"No, Satsuki." Ryuko recognized Nonon's nasal voice. "The members of disciplinary board are at it now."

"Very well. I see that you got the situation handled. I only need you to…" Satsuki kept giving some instruction to Nonon, nothing important enough to entirely catch their attention. Their voices got distant, but every once in a while they would hear someone's voice or footsteps getting closer – leaving at this rate was impossible without getting noticed.

"Looks like all we can do is wait." Ryuko didn't sound happy as she slid down the closet wall and sat down. "Man, now I'm, stuck in here because of you."

"We're lucky, aren't we?"

"What are you yappin on about?" Ryuko rudely asked, by now kind of annoyed that she had to hide in here. Senketsu chuckled knowingly, however, and Ryuko suddenly had a small epiphany.

"You planned all of this, didn't you?"

"Took you long enough."

"Sometimes you really amaze me with how weird you can be – for what purpose could you have possibly-"

"You were bored. So, I got you to be stuck inside of a small confined space where there's only you and me and where you have to listen to me if you don't want to suffer whatever penalty I might execute on you. I find that delightfully entertaining and filled to brim with opportunities."

"…I sense you might have some inappropriate intentions."

"Lots of them." He suddenly turned into the first stage of his transformation and before Ryuko could even as much as protest, his final instruction came:

"_Don't make a sound_."

It would without a doubt be one of the hardest things she'd ever have to do. He knew better than anyone she wasn't the kind to keep quiet. When she fought, she yelled as to inspire herself. When she ate, she hummed to show appreciation. When she slept, she snored a bit, though that one, she wasn't aware of – and even call at his name occasionally. Ryuko had always sounded off her state and feelings, as subtle as they were – being next to her 24 hours a day, it was one of the things Senketsu alone could notice better than anyone else.

That's why making her try and keep quiet while his straps tightened again and worked at her sensitive areas was unusually entertaining and, he had to admit, quite arousing. As he made work of the straps and instantly trapped her inside of his hard, unforgiving frame, she gasped and flushed but had kept his instruction in mind – the way her lungs inflated, her breasts rose and her stomach drew back, the arch in her back and hitch in her voice, along with constant series of tiny, almost inaudible grunts and winces she let out as she desperately tried to remain quiet and he was willing to forgive, was without a doubt quite a display, even for him.

Ryuko could feel him tightening to that point where it was borderline painful and bothersome, yet not; instead it had filled her with an incredible feeling of protection. What could potentially scare off anyone else she had welcomed like a warm, firm hug of a lover and there was no way she'd ever see harm in this feeling, in the way he possessively held her, closer and stronger, as if wanting to build himself into her flesh. Even in this stupid closet, even when in danger of being found out, even when angry at him for putting her into such a situation… she had loved it all the same.

She had to bite her tongue in order not to speak back, to call him a perverted bastard and to demand to be let go, but it was the battle of body she was leading here; she needed not falter in her attempt to keep quiet, not because it was what he wanted of her, but because it was a challenge he presented her with; and it was a challenge she didn't want to lose.

It was hard watching out not to kick at anything, not making a noise, not attracting attention; as the warm and tingling sensation grew, she felt her body twitching and she had to put all of her strength into not making the sudden moves or sounds. To try and prevent breathing out loudly she gritted her teeth and tried to normalize the breathing through her nose – mixed with her feeling of irritation and helplessness at her predicament, it was the slightly angered look of her features that Senketsu particularly loved.

"You look incredibly beautiful when you're angry."

It call it unexpected would be an understatement; Ryuko had all but lost control of her breathing as he complimented her, wondering what he must be thinking, saying such stupid things, how must he see her at the moment, how much can someone like him appreciate her and admire the features of her face and body – and the thought of him enjoying it had somehow, _somehow_ worked incredibly and her breath had intensified, deepened then gone quiet as _that_ sensation once again rose into those heights she had never visited… not before Senketsu came along.

She got off the euphoria heights slowly and comfortably, breathing heavily and trying to relax her body, to refrain from sudden movements. Her whole body felt unusually tingly, much like when a hand falls asleep; only the sensation was everywhere, even in her lips. Senketsu, slowly letting her go, had soon after turned back into being nothing but a school uniform.

"Ryuko."

How was it that he knew? Was it really that he knew; how much it calmed her when he spoke her name. She took in a few more big breaths before she finally felt her body get over an unusual case of shudders.

"S-Senketsu… that…" She let out a shuddering, soft laughter. "Senketsu, you crazy bastard."

He laughed, obviously pleased.

"You did very well, Ryuko."

"Shut up." She felt embarrassed when he complimented her like that; about these kinky, weird things they had started doing. His next words caught her unprepared, though.

"I mean it. I've enjoyed it a lot."

"Oh… s-so that was what you meant." She couldn't help but blush and she found it so weird and uncharacteristic of herself that she had tried to stare anywhere just so he wouldn't have to see it. "We better get back. Mikisugi had by now probably figured out we might have had something to do with that alarm."

"Ryuko."

"Mm?"

There was a short pause in which Senketsu changed his mind.

"Never mind. You're right, let's head back. I think the halls are safe for now."

"Right."

The two had sneaked out and into the lower halls, Ryuko feeling a weird mix of happiness and worry and Senketsu wondering just what was it that has been concerning her.

It would be nothing he wouldn't find out rather soon.


	3. Chapter III - Simply having Fun

Despite the fact that Mako, along with the rest of her family, has been snoring loud enough to keep the whole street up and awake, it wasn't that sound that kept Ryuko up. She had tried closing her eyes numerous times and fall asleep in every way possible – her mind was simply too active though, and she had yet to realize why. Currently, she had tried making out the number of stars in the sky as to distract herself from pondering, but just as she started, gray clouds came in and started obscuring the sight. Slightly irritated, Ryuko got off her futon and approached the window. The sky was still partially clear, but in the distance, she could hear the quiet rumble of the oncoming storm. Randomly, she wondered what the Honnouji Academy's precautions were there, if there were any, against dangerous storms. Her mind kept wandering away to the academy and it took her several minutes of thinking to realize it was because of what happened that afternoon there... with Senketsu.

_Senketsu._

Barely a few days passed since the unusual turn their teasing has taken and Ryuko found herself wondering about some things. One might've thought she was thinking about the actual relationship the two had, but Ryuko was much simpler than that. She didn't question what it was they were having. She didn't question where it was going to go.

Instead, as she recalled the gorgeous, fun and still wonderfully embarrassing treatment he'd been giving to her so selflessly, she had wondered a very simple thing:

_What about Senketsu?_

The friend she kept on her mind suddenly spoke and she nearly jerked at the sound of his deep voice.

"You can't sleep either, I see."

Ryuko glanced at him. Senketsu's golden eye peered into her questioningly and she felt guilty for some reason. She wished she never got up from the futon as his stare started to feel judgmental. Not being able to explain these sudden thoughts, she retracted from the window and turned away from him.

"Just thinking, is all." She was about to go back to bed, when she heard the familiar shuffle of his fabric. Senketsu had dropped from the hanger and approached her slowly.

"What is it?"

There was no mistaking it - Senketsu had clearly felt something was off. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't avoid talking about it _now_.

Ryuko hesitated. She had a hard time putting things like these, these… thoughts, emotions, ideas into words. There was still a shy side she wasn't quite capable of removing completely and the topic was quite embarrassing for her.

"Ryuko…" She could hear the wonder in his voice and it tugged at someplace inside her chest.

"Sorry, Senketsu, I've just… well…" Ryuko trailed off, blushing slightly and glancing at the rest of the sleeping household. Senketsu had immediately realized the problem and motioned towards the open window. Taking her sneakers with her, Ryuko had swiftly jumped out into the yard where they could get some privacy, Senketsu following behind.

Sounding closer than before, the thunder had sounded off again and a small breeze blew through the yard, carrying the distant scent of rain. Ryuko was silent for a while as she put the sneakers on, taking a bit longer than usual to tie down the laces, before finally deciding she formed a good enough thought to speak aloud. It was wrong of her to think so, as she began very awkwardly:

"Senketsu... today, ah, at the academy… when we activated the fire alarm-"

"I remember." Senketsu reassured, knowing she was still a bit too insecure to address the subject directly. Ryuko paused then turned to look at him, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"Senketsu, what could _I_… _do_… for you?"

"Do… for me?" Senketsu repeated, slightly confused as he still didn't catch on to what was she exactly talking about.

"Aw, c'mon, damn it…" Ryuko sighed in exasperation, frustrated with her inability to tell him outright what was on her mind. "There must be something I can… _do_ for you; you know, the way- the way _you_ did… for me." She trailed off, her face forming into an angry pout, the same one she produced whenever embarrassment overwhelmed her.

When he realized what she was talking about, Senketsu found it quite charming of her and couldn't help but letting out a soft laugh.

"Ah, I see…"

Silence ensued and for a moment Ryuko just stood there awkwardly, wondering if he had understood her. She was about to ask him if he really did, when…

"Ryuko."

"Yeah?"

"… Wear me."

Senketsu stared into her eyes with an unusual amount of determination. Ryuko stood still for a moment, wondering what he wanted of her, asking such a thing. Then she simply spread her arms; it was a cue for him, and he jumped onto her energetically, instantly stripping her of her tiny pajamas and putting himself in their place.

"Now Ryuko, do you see that hill over there?"

Ryuko looked up. In the distance, straight in the direction of the storm, there was a small hill on the outskirts of the city.

"What about it?"

"I would like you to run all the way to the top of it."

"Run? All the way there? Now?" Ryuko deadpanned. "Senketsu, what are you—"

"Do you want the answer to your question?"

Ryuko sighed and, still slightly confused, began to run.

It was a light, paced tempo she was taking, as she had no idea what she was doing. In the beginning, it was a little bit tiring and hard – she was still lying in her bed in her thoughts, didn't warm up properly and never stretched her legs. But merely several minutes later, she could feel her body getting warmer, getting into the rhythm she was taking. Soon, the jog became a pleasant activity. As she ran, her mind wandered free and she realized this was much more relaxing than she could've ever imagined. Any question as to why Senketsu would have asked her to do this have temporarily disappeared from her head and for the time being, she enjoyed the relaxing recreation, not really looking which way she was taking, only occasionally checking out the direction of the hill she was running towards.

When the first drops of rain fell on her nose and the thunder started to sound much closer than before, Ryuko once again became aware of her whereabouts. The sky lightened up for a few seconds from the oncoming thunderstorm and her steps slowed down, her mind immediately making calculations, wondering if they'd successfully escape the rain if they turned back now; but at that same moment she could feel Senketsu jerk forward almost violently, nearly making her trip.

"No slowing down. We're not done yet."

Ryuko stared at him. "Senketsu, the rain is just about to pour onto us. Even if I didn't mind getting utterly drenched, I know for a fact that you absolutely hate freezing water. I've seen what Mako's mother has done to you."

"Such trivial things don't matter now." Senketsu announced. All possible logical conclusions as to why they were doing this have evaporated from Ryuko's head, replaced by mild annoyance.

"Senketsu, this is getting ridiculous! We're turning around and going back."

"Hmpf. Loser."

Ryuko stopped in her tracks. To hear Senketsu, of all people, call her a _loser_ was not only hurtful and fury inducing, it was also downright uncharacteristic of him. She grudgingly noticed she was positively pissed off by it and tried heavily to pacify herself.

"What was that?" Furious as she was at that moment, Ryuko couldn't think of any way this could end without her taking him off right then and there and leaving him in a puddle to soak up the mud.

"We didn't come all the way here for you to give up because of some silly rain." Senketsu added a bit strictly. Ryuko tried once again to calm down and make sense of him as she replied:

"But it's nothing important that we're chasing or running away from this time arou—"

"Did you not want to know what could you do for me?"

Ryuko froze; she had realized she had forgotten about it and instantly felt her heart fall into the depths of her stomach, drowning in guilt. How could that have possibly slipped her mind? After all, this was about Senketsu, she wanted to know about him, it was for his sake… wasn't it?

No, she suddenly realized.

It wasn't.

It was about _both_ of them.

Senketsu wouldn't do this for the heck of it. He wouldn't drag her out in the middle of the night during such a weather to screw around with her or for purely selfish reasons. He was trying to tell her something, to show her something, as weird as the way might've been. And while she was still far away from comprehending what it was exactly, she realized she had only now truly gotten on board to find out. Inspiration fueled her like nothing ever did before and she, at that moment, had only one goal before her eyes, the one goal that she simply had to fulfill if she wanted to have a decent sleep that night, if she wanted to learn more of Senketsu. She needed to reach the top of that hill. No matter what.

And then Ryuko didn't just jog anymore. You could say she barely even ran, for it felt like flying. The speed at which she had taken off was incredible. There were more and more rain drops, heavier and sharper than before, falling on her face as she ran into the open arms of the storm, trying to stop her, to slow her down.

_As if I'd slow down._

With the speed at which she had been running, mere minutes passed, but it felt like wonderful hours before the path became steep, as she left the outskirts of the city and ran up the beaten, muddy path on the hill that had challenged her body into moving faster, moving stronger. The rocks scratched at her sneakers, she was slipping on the mud all the time and Senketsu was positively dripping, rain completely drenching both of them by then, slowing her down. It became harder and harder to climb the path, but as the hardships grew, so did her will, her determination. Her heart was beating like crazy, pumping the now hot blood that felt wonderfully protective against the cold rain, the adrenaline rushing through her the further she got, with every step she climbed, and she could hear Senketsu shouting something that she, among the noise produced by the rain, the wind and the leaves, interpreted as…

_Put me on, Ryuko!_

Hearing that, Ryuko pulled at the glove and felt the syringe prodding into her skin.

In an instant, as Senketsu transformed, she dashed through the trees, effortlessly running through the last 500 feet in matter of seconds and suddenly emerged into the clearance that was the top of the hill, with nothing but a wide field of grass surrounding them. As if to announce their arrival and their small but significant victory, somewhere in general vicinity a thunder struck deafeningly.

As long seconds passed they simply stood there, staring at the cloudy sky, Ryuko feeling cold rain dripping against her hot skin.

She had tried to catch her breath; she wasn't lacking energy, on the contrary. Adrenaline was still freshly running through her veins; she felt wonderful knowing they did this and it was that knowledge that had left her devoid of air for the time being. This was far from being hard or challenging, not nearly as risky as the battles they led against students, against the battles that they knew were yet to come. But it was also devoid of tension, of the possibility of losing, of possibility of death, devoid of everything they were fighting to prevent in the future and containing nothing but the two of them, having fun, challenging Mother Nature.

Ryuko was surprised to actually _hear_ Senketsu trying to catch his breath that she didn't quite know she had or needed.

"Senketsu, what's with that? You technically don't need to breathe." She teased and heard him respond with a chuckle.

"My breathing serves the purpose of relaxing me, Ryuko."

"I thought we did _this_ to relax." Ryuko pointed out.

"We did some other things for the purpose of relaxation that caught you quite breathless as well, if I remember correctly."

"Oh, shut up." They laughed, but then Senketsu's words began to sink in and she blushed.

"Wait, Senketsu… are you telling me this is…"

"Ah, no, no, it is _very likely_ not the same sensation." Senketsu tried to explain right away, laughing as he did at her implication and her adorable embarrassment. "After all, I'm no human. I don't think there's a way for me to feel some of the sensations humans do, in particular not those connected to sheer physical stimulation. But…," he fell silent for a moment, "to feel your heart pumping with sheer excitement in your chest… to drink your hot blood and to feel what you're feeling when inspired, motivated, fired up… without dangers. Without worries. Without _stress_," he emphasized it specifically as he turned back into a school uniform, "You have no idea, Ryuko… not only how your blood tastes, but it makes me feel at those times."

"Senketsu…" She had no idea the lack of stress could add not only to the way he tasted his blood, but to the way he enjoyed it. Feeling slightly touched by this discovery, Ryuko gently caressed the wet sleeve, hearing him purr contently as she did - and suddenly blinked.

"But you_ do_ respond to physical stimulation. See, just now? You even like being ironed."

"Hm. I'd say small things like that are only logical; wouldn't you agree?"

Ryuko fell silent, thinking about it. She didn't say anything else about the topic however and instead stretched her arms, feeling pleasant and content.

"I guess it's about time we head home, huh."

"I guess."

It took them more than an hour to get back to the house of Mankanshoku family – they were taking it rather slow, making pointless chit chat and enjoying the fact there was a new sense of bonding they had established. By the time they arrived home, the storm had already gone ahead of them, leaving nothing but the incredibly starry sky behind and many puddles to jump in on the streets.

It was only once they got back that Ryuko noticed, underneath the pale street light, both of them were drenched in not only rain, but mud.

"Man~ how troublesome."

"Worth it, I assume."

"Absolutely." Ryuko grinned. "We can't remain like this, however. I need to take a bath." She turned the corner to start preparing a bath in the rather well made makeshift bathroom when she added:"Ah, of course, I need to wash _you, _too."

Senketsu tensed up. "I-if you dare to do to me what that woman did, I swear—"

"Are you crazy? I'm not oblivious to your pain, you know." Ryuko protested. "We'll just have to find a way to take care of you without—"

"I absolutely refuse to have any scrub brushes or detergent used on me. And don't even thing about wringing me out like that woman did." Senketsu growled.

Ryuko deadpanned. "Man, for clothing, you're really picky." As the water heated up, she pondered over how to handle the delicate situation.

"Well, have you thought of anything?"

"Well, Senketsu…," Ryuko took her friend off herself as she spoke, "I think there's no helping it."

"Hmm?"

"How about I simply hand-wash you in the bath with me?"

* * *

**Note:**

**The ending of this chapter is completely "inspired" by a certain Kill la Kill fanart comic that I can't link here because FF won't let me. ****And the chapter that will follow will be as well. Some of the content will be downright "borrowed" but I'll take it in my own direction, promise.**

**Just makin' this clear, so no one would say I'm going around, stealing ideas. ****It's just such a cute comic, though, I couldn't resist. Maybe it's for the best that you can't see it. If any of you recognize the comic in question, do let me know! **

**I would also like to use this opportunity to thank every one of my readers.**

**Thank you for your reviews, those make my day every time.**


	4. Chapter IV - More

"H-hand wash me?!"

"Yeah! C'mon, the water is all warm and ready." Without warning, she turned on the shower and quickly removed larger chunks of dried up mud off him with cold water, which Senketsu wasn't pleased with in the least. Once only stains remained on him, she picked him up and was about to put him into the tub – an old oil barrel, that is – when Senketsu caught the edges of the barrel and didn't let himself be lowered any further. The imagery reminded Ryuko of cats and their aversion to water; she stifled a laugh. It went unnoticed by Senketsu, who was concentrating on not being soaked in the bath.

"I am already drenched in water! How is this going to help?!"

Ryuko gave him a stern glare. „Senketsu, don't be ridiculous. I know you hate cold water, but the baths are different." She gathered up his sleeves, rendering him helpless against the water in the tub and lowered him down.

"Ryuko, wait just one mi—, "Senketsu fell silent as he drenched himself in hot water, letting the surprisingly good feeling overwhelm him – and then sighed in content.

"Hmm. This isn't bad at all. I can feel my threads relaxing and spreading so easily."

"See? Nothing better than a hot bath." Ryuko encouraged with a smile. "You just listen to me and soak in there while I get myself washed; then we'll see what we can do about all those stains of yours." Ryuko proceeded to soap her body, leaving Senketsu to enjoy the hot bath by himself for a while. Once done cleaning herself and showering the foam away, she got into the narrow barrel next to her friend and let out a breath of relief.

"Nothing like a hot bath~" She hummed happily as she splashed some of the water on her face. She soaked together with Senketsu in silence for a while, enjoying the sensation, when she realized she had yet to wash him.

"Ah, Senketsu, come o'er here. You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?"

"Keh; can't say I wasn't hoping you did." He sweat-dropped, then got closer to her for her commodity. "Just don't be too rough, alright? The last time I was washed, I nearly got ripped apart. Or at least it felt so."

"You're such a baby, you are." Ryuko teased. She checked out his sleeves and the front and though there were still several stains, most of the smaller ones were already gone, dissolved in the hot water. There were however several particularly big spots right on his hem, beneath his mouth. She gently took the hem in her hands, softly rubbed her fingers against one of the spots and contently noticed that rubbing started to remove the dirt slowly. Once she tried gently scratching at the spot with her nails to achieve better results though, she got an incredibly unexpected reaction in return, as Senketsu suddenly jerked away, spilling some of the bath water over the edge of the barrel. It startled Ryuko so much that she jerked along with him.

"What is it? Senketsu, did I hurt you in some way?!"

"Ah, no no, don't worry! It just...,"Senketsu paused, seeming a bit shocked for several more seconds, before almost shyly continuing, "I'm not sure, but I think that tickled."

"Oh!" Ryuko laughed, the thought of ticklish Senketsu endlessly entertaining her. It was definitely an interesting discovery. "Fine, fine, sorry for that! I'll try not to use my nails too much this time around."

"Well, you can, if you must. Just warn me next time."

"Got it. Bear with me then, for a little longer." She scraped lightly at the stain again, this time slowly as to prepare him and noticed Senketsu's epic restrain from tearing away from her hands. There was even a tear in his eye and a slight shudder, no doubt conjured because of his effort not to laugh like a maniac. It was quite cute and Ryuko thought it weird that she found it charming. She also thought it weird that she didn't already noticed this before.

"There, that one is done. You can relax now."

"Phew!" Senketsu stopped trembling and finally let out a breathy chuckle. "That was quite an unusual feeling. Very comfortable and pleasant, yet I wanted nothing more than to stop it."

"You summed it up pretty well." Ryuko agreed and kept rubbing gently at another spot, when she asked:

"Senketsu, you're not very familiar with... feeling stuff, are you?"

"Ah, so you noticed." Senketsu admitted. "I generally know about sensations, being sentient; but some of them I've never had a chance of experiencing. That is why sometimes, something like a tickle can be quite new to me."

"Hu~ that's good to know~" Ryuko teased again and Senketsu frowned.

"You better not have something mischievous planned."

"Of course not; that's your job, after all."

She concentrated on his hem again, where a spot just wouldn't come out. Scraping gently with her nail and causing yet another jerk from Senketsu, much to her amusement, Ryuko realized that it wasn't going to do much good this time around. She tried rubbing a tad bit more vigorously, but it didn't work either. Frustrated, she give it genuine chafing, much to Senketsu's great discomfort that she temporarily forgot about.

_Damn it, hot water won't be enough. Maybe he wouldn't mind a little detergent? Maybe if I try a bit harder, it will—_

Her train of thought was interrupted when Senketsu's cuffs suddenly pathetically tried to push her hands away, stopping her attempts at washing him.

"St... stop, Ryuko!"

She gave him a confused look and noticed a frown and a surprisingly reddened face. She interpreted it as anger and was about to ask what's wrong when he outright told her in the most strained and breathy voice he inadvertently produced:

"Ryuko, that hurts…! Please, be gentler with me!"

To say that sentence _didn't_ send her mind deep into the gutter would be a dirty lie and Ryuko's face reddened along with his for different reasons altogether. She let go of his hem clumsily.

"S-sorry. I got carried away."

"It's fine." For a moment they were just looking at each other. She scratched her neck, trying to think of a different way to wash him while at the same time suppressing the not-so-serene thoughts.

„Perhaps we could try using a body sponge?"

Senketsu looked at the item she picked up suspiciously and as she tried to scrub him with it, he let out a dissatisfied grumble and retracted his sleeve.

"I don't think that'll work. It feels uncomfortable." He complained, eyeing the sponge with newly found dread. Ryuko deadpanned.

"All of these feel perfectly fine on my skin. What in the world feels nice on your fabric, then?"

"… Ryuko's skin feels very nice."

…

"…Huh?"

"Your skin, Ryuko. Whenever you wear me. It feels very nice." Senketsu confirmed with a smile, closing his eye, likely reminiscing about being worn by her.

What Ryuko did next was more of an instinct or even emotional reaction to his words, something she didn't even think through. Ryuko knew wearing him won't do much since he needed a wash; but then there was an idea. She suddenly grabbed at his shoulders and pulled him close to herself into a hug. His fabric enwrapped her body easily in the bath.

"In that case, this should feel nice." Ryuko concluded. It was surprisingly comfy; she figured it was quite a different feeling with warm water. She could hear him mumble something against her chest.

"Hm? Senketsu?"

"It is strange…"

"What is?"

"Usually, even though we technically fuse together when you put me on, it feels more as if _I'm_ the one holding _you_, my job being protecting you… but, now… it feels the other way around."

He shifted slightly. Ryuko could feel his sleeves, dripping with hot water, sliding underneath her arms and pulling her into an embrace. His hems rested on her shoulders and warmed her up nicely, water trickling down her arms and back. Senketsu's actual embrace was more comfortable than she could imagine.

Ryuko looked down at him. His eye was closed and he seemed more peaceful than ever. He pulled at her and she could hear him whisper.

"More..."

She embraced him fully this time, holding him firmer than before and heard a positive, content grunt coming from him. She thought he would like it just fine and was a bit surprised to hear him saying the same thing again, this time with more confidence.

"More."

Ryuko's head sank into his collar, practically nuzzling him. He was warm, comfy and soft. He was anything but a mere piece of clothing at that moment.

"_More_." Senketsu's voice got demanding, but it also shuddered slightly. Ryuko blinked. He sounded… different, yet that tone was familiar. It took her a fraction of a moment to remember those were the first words she had ever heard him speak.

"Senketsu, what are you—"

"**More**." That was a positive growl. Senketsu's sleeves tightened against her shoulders and she swore she could feel teeth against her skin. While it was hardly even bothersome at the moment, she was so confused and he seemed so out of it that she started to panic.

The teeth became sharper.

"Oi, get a grip on yourself! **Senketsu**!"

At the sound of her panicked voice, he suddenly pushed himself away from her. Ryuko's eyes widened at the sight of Senketsu being utterly shocked, trying to get as far away from her as possible.

"Ryuko…" he was trying to catch his breath. Ryuko waited, her own breath stuck in her lungs.

"What…" He tried to speak but his words were unheard because of his deep breathing.

"Huh? What did you—"

"What in the world was _that_?!"

"Eh?! That's what I'm supposed to be asking!" Ryuko declared, expecting anything but that question and not entirely sure if she knew the answer to it. Senketsu pointed at her a bit comically.

"It felt really—_really_—"He was obviously looking for the right word.

"… Good?" Ryuko tried to help. Senketus's sleeve fell, making a playful splash in the water.

"Well—yes, but… it was, in a way, like… that time…"

"That time?" Ryuko repeated. Senketsu nodded, finishing his thoughts.

"When I first tasted your blood."

"… Oh. _Oh_!" Ryuko remembered. That time he couldn't contain himself even if he wanted to, forcefully making her wear him, forcefully drinking some more of the blood he craved so much.

"But this time, it wasn't just blood… it was something else, but I can't … I don't understand." Senketsu ended, confused by this development. Ryuko had a thought in mind, and as embarrassing as it was to get it out, she figured it might help Senketsu realize what is going on.

"Maybe it's for you the same way it is for me, in a way." She began a bit clumsily. Senketsu directed his attention to her and she tried to sound more confident as she built the theory in her head.

"I mean, the same way I enjoy when, uh," she paused, "you do all the… _stuff_… while I'm wearing you… perhaps you enjoy my touch the similar way. Not like when we fuse, but like _so_. "She caressed his sleeve as to demonstrate. They both fell silent.

"… maybe." Senketsu agreed at the possibility. Ryuko smiled at him, encouraging him to relax – he was obviously feeling a bit guilty about what happened.

"Don't worry about it." She swiftly said. Then she grinned evilly and added in the most devilish way possible: "If you were human, it would _almost_ be appropriate to say it was your first time~"

Senketsu scoffed.

"Since when are you the funny one?" He replied teasingly.

" 'A man is known by the company he keeps'. " Ryuko quoted. Senketsu genuinely laughed this time.

"Looks like you got that bit of wisdom from me, too."

"Shut up." Ryuko ended in her familiar fashion, bearing a smrik. She played with his sleeves.

"Ah, look. The stains are gone."

"Huh. So you're right."

"Yeah."

"Mm."

They fell silent.

"…I guess cuddling me is the only way left to wash you from now on."

"…I guess it is."


	5. Chapter V - In the Waking World

**You're about to encounter something in this fanfic that I technically made bi-lingual, while it shouldn't be. If you're bothered by it, please don't tell me about it, I'm aware of it, I know all about it, I thought about it for at least one hour, I'm fine with it. Please, be fine with it as well.**

**Enjoy the read.**

* * *

"Ryuko." Senketsu interrupted her morning ritual. Ryuko blinked and pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth, eyeing the outfit she had just put on in the broken mirror. It wasn't a pleasant look he was giving her.

"Mm?" She mumbled through the foam-filled cheeks.

"... Ryuko... you have a cold." Senketsu informed her, so gravely one might've thought he told her she was dying. Ryuko, however, merely blinked at this unexpected news, suspicious of its verity.

"Wha…? No, I don't." She managed through her filled mouth.

Senketsu shifted in protest. "It is obvious."

She waved her hand at him, still eyeing the mirror. "Shut uuaaAA_CHOO_!" The foam flew out of her mouth and splattered the entire mirror in a disgusting pattern. Somewhere among the white foam she saw small traces of mucus and it made her sick more than any cold she might have.

"There you have it." Senketsu dryly finished presenting his evidence. Ryuko sniffed.

"Huh. I don't feel sick, though."

"You can't feel it yet - it has yet to affect your in any bad way - but I can. It's your blood. It doesn't taste well or as fresh as it should." He paused. "At this rate, the effect will start approximately one hour before Honnouji's lunch break."

As she was wiping the mirror clean with some toilet paper, Ryuko couldn't help but scoff. "You're that well informed, huh?"

"I have to be. Your body and the state of it is my primary occupation."

"Perv."

"You know well I didn't mean it in that way." Senketsu didn't catch her humorous tone, and Ryuko rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. Still, I can go to the Academy, right? I mean a simple cold can't be that—"

"It'll start with extreme fatigue," Senketsu started with the voice of an expert, "accompanied with a slight, annoying headache. At that point, I'm guessing it's possible you'll feel a scratch in your throat and, knowing you, you'd probably try to heal it with some cold soda."

"Well of course. That always works, right?" Her confident smile was immediately wiped off her face as Senketsu replied automatically:

"_Wrong_. Furthermore, as your throat starts hurting stronger, you'll start sniffing and sneezing, at which point you'll either luckily be sent home or unfortunately and more likely, met with plethora of students who'll take advantage of your sickness – in any case, by two in the afternoon, you'll definitely be quite feverish. All that said, I strongly advise you to stay home."

As Ryuko didn't comment on this speech, slightly failing to conjure the words to express her astonishment with his very detailed prediction, he felt obligated to add: "I'm done."

"I know you are, silly." She sighed, tired from the fact she'd have to miss out on an opportunity to beat Satsuki Kiryuin's ass yet again. "It was that night in the rain, two days ago, wasn't it."

"Most likely. Even the warm bath couldn't entirely help the two hours you spent entirely soaked by the rain, in the cold weather. The effects of it are finally becoming apparent."

"I guess you're right." Ryuko admitted. She remembered the time when she wouldn't care about Senketsu's advice less; however, she had plenty of opportunities to learn just how accurate, sometimes scarily so, Senketsu could be when it come to her body. Just at that moment, Mako appeared to wash her teeth as well. By the time Ryuko started talking, she had already washed half of her mouth.

"Mako, I'm staying home today. Senketsu thi—I mean, I think I'm coming down with a cold."

"Whaaat?!" Mako all but flipped over at this news and in a blink of an eye finished washing her teeth and dragged her ill friend into the house. "Don't be afraid, Ryuko-chan! We'll save you!" Before Ryuko could react to sudden change of location, Mako's father already knew all about the upcoming illness.

"Don't you worry, Ryuko-chan! We'll beat that cold out of you or my name isn't Mankanshoku Barazoo!" As he said that, he pulled out the biggest and most crooked syringe Ryuko has ever seen. It could have easily killed a person if used right. At the mere sight of the needle, as thick as a pencil, she backed away from him. "Now hand over your arm so we can begin!"

"**Dear**!" His wife came in and gently but firmly slapped his hand, a frown appearing on her usually smiling face. "Stop scaring her! That is no way to treat a patient!" She looked back at still panicking Ryuko, producing another one of her motherly smiles. "I'm sorry, Ryuko-chan! Don't you fret, if anyone knows to heal a cold well, it is a caring mother." She pulled at her husband's arm, at the same time putting on a coat and grabbing her bag. "We'll be back in a few hours, as soon as we get you everything you might need!"

She started to recite a list of ingredients for a chicken soup as her husband protested that he was the real doctor the family needed – they were closely followed by their two children, who rushed to school, promptly greeting Ryuko goodbye and wishing her well; and just like that, the loud Mankanshoku mess left their residence and enwrapped the house in one of the rare, serene moments of silence.

Ryuko stood dumbfounded in the doorway, waving at the already distanced family.

Senketsu then spoke the wise words.

"… You should pretend to be sick more often. Such silence is a rarity."

"That's mean!" Ryuko chuckled and went quiet as she contemplated about it more.

"… maybe I should."

The two shared a laugh before Ryuko retreated to the bedroom. Not seeing a point in wearing him anymore, she swiftly took Senketsu off and instead put on her usual white shirt and skirt. She pushed the window open wide to get the fresh air in. The weather couldn't decide whether the sky should be clear or not that day. Sun kept appearing and disappearing behind the herd of fluffy white clouds. Ryuko observed it for a while, Senketsu joining her in absence of anything else to do.

"Nice weather." She said randomly, not enjoying the lack of conversation.

"Mm." Senketsu confirmed shortly. "The cloudy pattern in the sky is indeed interesting."

It occurred to Ryuko that Senketsu perhaps didn't know what kind of enjoyment people drew from gazing at the sky, but she didn't rest much upon that thought. It wasn't long before her overly active mind found the slow pace of clouds a bit too boring for her taste. She looked around the room and grabbed one of Mako's textbooks. It was a literature textbook. Having nothing better to do, she sat down on the futon, and flipped through it. Mere moments after, Senketsu skipped right next to her, apparently interested in the book. This started a most curious question in Ryuko's head.

"…Senketsu?"

"Mm?" He looked up at her suddenly serious face.

"… Can you read?"

"Eh?" Senketsu sweat dropped. "I… haven't quite mastered it yet."

Ryuko was confused. "Haven't quite mastered? I don't understand. Were you made with such ability or—?"

"It is more of a something I absorb along the way. Much like our fighting techniques and skills. It takes some time."

"… Huh." Ryuko didn't know what else to say, as she was confused by such a method of learning – then again, she figured, Senketsu wasn't human - plus, she recalled, she actually did see him read before. She found it odd that she didn't remember that. So instead, since he seemed more interested in the textbook, she flipped through the pages again before stopping at a random one.

There was a short love poem by someone called Ono no Komachi.

夢ぢには  
あしもやすめず  
かよへども  
うつつにひとめ  
見しごとはあらず

Senketsu was, judging by his squint, having problems with the poem.

"What is it, Senketsu?"

"I've learned most of the Japanese script by now, but I can't figure out these."

He pointed at the very first character in the poem. Ryuko knew all too well why he was having difficulties; she had the same problems when she was learning these characters for the first time.

"Ah, of course, they aren't part of the actual alphabet. These, you gotta learn by yourself and each stands for a word or even a phrase. There are thousands of them and they can really be a pain in the ass." She admitted with a snicker." "The one you're confused about means '_dream'._"

"Incredible." Senketsu mused. A short silence ensued, when Ryuko decided to offer:

"I could read this to you if you're insecure about the meaning"

"… I would like that." He immediately got more comfortable and leaned against her. One of his sleeves wrapped around her arm and Ryuko found it… safe. And nice. Making herself comfortable, she began reading:

"_'Though I go to you,  
ceaselessly along dream paths,  
the sum of those t –'… _tr_… _trysts," she read slowly, not quite understand the meaning of the word.

"It is a synonym for '_meetings'_," Senketsu helped.

"Ah, thanks… uh, so… '_the sum of those trysts  
is less than a single glimpse  
granted in the waking world_."

There was an unusual silence that filled the room. Ryuko stayed quiet, re-reading the poem once as she expectantly waited for Senketsu to comment on it. When he didn't, she glanced at him and nearly fell out of balance when she realized he had been gazing at her – from the looks of it, for quite some time.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Does it make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Of course it is. No staring has ever felt nice. Stop." She deadpanned. Senketsu's golden eye blinked once and focused back on the textbook again. Ryuko realized she had been holding her breath.

"… I like this poem." He finally said.

"I guess it is… nice." Ryuko accepted. "I was never much into things like this. Poetry is often too complicated to understand." She looked at the poem in the book again. "I guess this one is OK. It is simple enough that you can relate to it, so to speak."

"Ah, is that the kind of beauty humans seek in poetry?"

"Uh, well…" She didn't feel quite qualified to explain these things, "… there are many kinds of beauty people look for in poetry... and in art in general, I think… relating to something is always a nice feeling, though."

"Can _you_ relate with it?"

"…uh…" Ryuko didn't know how to answer. Could she relate to a love poem? Hardly. Or was it hardly? She was unsure – but that wasn't what Senketsu asked her. "W-well, it is not like I am actually _**loving**_ anyone or anything, you know—" She put the special accent on the word, but Senketsu didn't seem to notice as he, heavily surprised, questioned further:

"You don't love anyone? … Not even Mako?"

"Ah, no no, that's not what I meant!" Preoccupied with trying to explain herself, Ryuko completely failed to notice Senketsu's hurt tone. "Of course I love some people! I really love Mako, she is my best friend! And, well, I do love Mrs Yukari, she's almost like a mother… and Mr Mankanshoku, for what a pervert he can be, he's still very nice…" Her eyes dared to look in Senketsu's direction and she shyly noticed he was staring at her again. "… and Mataro… bratty as he is, is fun… to have around…" He was expecting his own name somewhere in there, wasn't he? Oh boy. It was embarrassing; regardless of the fact she was simply naming every person that meant to her in her life. "… and… Guts…kinda cute… I guess?..." Now she was just plain avoiding it.

"… and, of course… you… Senketsu." His name came out as more of a whisper. By the time she was done, her eyes weren't capable of looking at him anymore. Senketsu, however, seemed to have regained his good mood.

"That's very nice to hear, Ryuko. Thank you." He almost sounded formal, but behind the formality, she could hear he was touched. That cheesy, old-fashioned dolt. "In all honesty, I think you are the only person I've come to love, but I guess that's understandable, since I can't quite communicate with anyone else. Though, Mako is very nice too. I wish she could hear me. She seems like a nice person to love."

Senketsu was using that word way too freely, Ryuko noticed. She put the textbook aside and laid down, trying to cool off and calm down; she accidentally pulled Senketsu, who still had his sleeve around her arm, with her. He didn't seem to mind, as he remained quiet.

Several minutes passed before Ryuko, out of sheer wish to produce some noise, said:

"Man, I'm bored again."

"… I remember what happened the last time you said those very words to me." Senketsu offered. It took Ryuko ten long seconds to realize what he was talking about, and she blushed at the memory of a school closet.

"Man, you really _are_ a pervert."

"I just have a good memory."

"Ha!" Ryuko laughed heartily. "Good use of it, too." She put out her tongue at him.

"Are you telling me you forgot about it?" Senketsu challenged.

Ryuko already opened her mouth to reply when she realized how ticklish of a question that was for her. Some of the red still lingered in her cheeks when she replied.

"Well, of course not. Why would I forget, anyway…" She trailed off. She could feel Senketsu's sleeve shift on her wrist.

"Your heart is beating faster again." She didn't even have to ask to guess he had just measured her pulse – and probably has done so before. That stupid uniform could probably feel the food going down her digestion tract when she ate, Ryuko thought bitterly, almost smiling at her inside joke.

"Shut up, Senketsu."

Of course he didn't shut up.

"And your face is redder than before."

_He had noticed that?!_

"I'm feverish, OK? I should probably go to bed." Ryuko snapped. Unbeknownst to her, Senketsu saw that excuse coming long ago.

"You already are in bed."

"I meant to _sleep_."

"You aren't feverish."

"How would you—"

"I know everything about your body, Ryuko."

Ryuko looked at him, bewildered, and realized this time his intentions weren't completely pure.

"Senketsu, what do you…" As he moved, she didn't say another word. Senketsu quite literally climbed onto her belly, short and light as he was, and leaned forward, his sleeves resting on her shoulders; then he looked down at her. From this angle, his eternal frown would seem threatening to anyone else. Not to her. She saw something else in that eye. Something that, almost surprisingly and, yet understandably, came across as something more than simply _want_. That look alone was something she deemed breathtaking.

Stunned, Ryuko tried talking. "M-my blood…" She whispered out the rest, not loud enough for him to hear. Senketsu let out a curious "mm?" and she finally spoke up, probably louder than she wanted.

"My blood isn't good because I'm sick! Sheesh, have you forgotten that already?" She finally said, a bit bitterly. "You told me so yourself, so… so there's nothing in this for y—"

"It is not your blood that I want, Ryuko."

"Not blood…?! Then what?!" By now she believed he'd lost his mind. Since when did Senketsu not enjoy blood? Since when was there something else in this for him? Since when—

"I want _you_, Ryuko."

The train of thoughts stopped in its tracks for several moments.

"M-me… what do you mean, _me_, Senketsu… I'm always here."

"I always want you here."

"Senketsu, you're being…" She didn't know how to finish that sentence, but was almost painfully aware of the fact his words made her feel so light, so secure, so… _precious_.

"I could relate to it."

"You could—" _The poem?_

"I dream of you a lot, Ryuko. In borderline annoying amounts."

_Ain't you a sweet talker._ But Ryuko was truthfully surprised, pleasantly so, to hear this. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she humorously wondered - when did she get this soft?

"And each of these dreams, I was very grateful for… right until you'd wake me up and I saw you for real. That one glance of you in the morning, meant more to me, each and every time, than any dream I have had."

Senketsu wasn't a human. He was, technically, clothing. A sailor uniform. That she didn't mind in the slightest. She wouldn't trade him for any kind of human form of the world. She had learned to like him and appreciate him the way he was, and she had no wishes of his different appearance.

That's why she was happy when she realized she could compare this situation without any guilt or wishful thinking, and she told herself…

_If Senketsu were a human being, we'd now be sharing our first kiss._

Not back then, when they were in this very room alone, and Senketsu thought of a fun, pleasurable way to cure the boredom. Not in the school supplies closet, where they tested out the borders of their courage. Not in the hot bath, where they shared the most intimate moment at the time.

It was a stupidly romantic, completely baffling moment like this. If anyone had told Ryuko before that she's be romanticized by poetry-relating sailor uniform, she'd thought they were insane – yet, at this moment, all of that insanity seemed perfectly welcome. From that very moment, Ryuko knew there was no other way this moment could ever get any better at all.

"Senketsu…" Abruptly, she got up and embraced him firmly, her head nuzzling at his collar. He was thin, he was light, and he was clothing. But that embrace had felt anything but empty. She could feel his cuffs making its way to rest a bit clumsily but comfortably in her hair, his other sleeve pressing them together. It was the one embrace she gave that she never wanted to let go of.

"I...I want you, too... Senketsu." Ryuko breathed. Then, feeling a bit more confident then usually, through the toothy grin, she added.

"_Now_."

She could feel Senketsu's chuckle radiate through her body.

"Your wish is my command."


End file.
